'Sean & Terp' show on ESPN 96.1 features co-hosts 150 miles apart

Sean Baligian'GRAND RAPIDS -- As Ryan Terpstra busily prepares for another edition of the "Sean & Terp" show at Clear Channel's downtown studios, co-host Sean Baligian is nowhere to be seen.

He certainly can be heard, though. Loud and clear.

The "Sean & Terp" show airs on WMAX-FM (96.1) -- or, as it's more commonly known, ESPN 96.1 -- and Terpstra mans the booth in Grand Rapids. Baligian is an equal partner, albeit from almost 150 miles away, at the WDFN studio in Detroit.

Naturally, it takes a little time to adjust to communicating with your broadcast partner when he isn't the same room as you are, but both said it hasn't been an issue since the show debuted Aug. 17.

Ryan Terpstra"The bottom line is, it's like talking to callers," Baligian said. "It hasn't been troubling on my end at all. I was a little iffy about it at first, but it ended up not a big deal."

Baligian hopes to make semi-regular trips to the west side of the state once some of his other broadcasting duties -- which include calling Wayne State football games -- are less time-consuming.

Technically, Baligian has been in the Grand Rapids studio once -- on the first day of the show. Terpstra hasn't seen him since.

Listeners haven't seemed to notice, they said. Or if they have, it doesn't seem to matter.

"We talk all the time, but it was weird at first not being able to see each other," Terpstra said. "There was a week of transition, but now, I don't even think about it."

The "Sean & Terp" show has been a fresh voice and welcome alternative in the West Michigan sports radio scene. The pair provides unique perspectives -- east side of the state vs. west, family man vs. bachelor -- that give the show the same kind of conversational feel you might find at a sports bar.

The show airs weekdays 3 to 6 p.m. and is available through iPhone and Blackberry applications.

But it still has a ways to go before it surpasses the popularity of its drive-time rival, WBBL's "The Huge Show."

For their part, neither Baligian nor Terpstra has any interest in holding any kind of sports radio feud with WBBL.

"I don't pay attention to it. I'm one of those people who believes if you worry about what you're doing, the rest will take care of itself," Baligian said. "I'm not wrapped up with any of that stuff."

Said Terpstra: "We know we're the underdog, we know we're the new kids on the block. But we've got a great product with ESPN, the No. 1 sports entity in the world. It's a great brand to stand behind."

The show, much like the station itself, still has room to grow. It recently passed the two-month mark, and remnants of WMAX's previous rock format remain in the studio, including the signature of REO Speedwagon on a wall overlooking downtown.

But the two will continue to keep working to connect with listeners and build the show's audience.

In the end, it all comes down to sports.

"In my mind, this is not rocket science," Baligian said. "This is conversation with sports fans."

Channel chatter Ratings game: Just when you think the Dallas Cowboys aren't "America's Team" anymore, along come the ratings for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons. Fox's coverage averaged a whopping 28.4 million viewers. It was Fox's most-watched Sunday telecast since the Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers in 1997 (29.7 million), and the highest-rated telecast on any network since February's Oscars (36.3 million).